The 30-Minute Shakespeare Anthology. William Shakespeare

within the context of a scene from each of the eighteen plays in The 30-Minute Shakespeare series; the monologue appears in a different font. Thus you have two (or more) options. You can perform the scene with a group as part of a classroom activity, performance, or competition, or you can extract the monologue from the scene and perform it solo.

      You will enrich your understanding of the speech by exploring it within the scene, experiencing how others in the drama affect your role. Nobody lives in a vacuum. Shakespeare’s characters exist in relation to each other. Even if you do not perform the scene with other actors, I suggest that in addition to delving into that particular scene, you read, or preferably watch (or act), the whole play. This will allow you to become even more familiar with your part and deliver your speech with awareness and authority. I’ve included recommended videos of great performances for each monologue in this collection.

      I list the scenes and monologues here by play, scene, number and gender breakdown of actors, monologue character, monologue gender, theme, and number of lines in the speech. Most monologues are one to two minutes long, and the scenes average about five minutes. Three of the scenes (Love’s Labor’s Lost, The Merchant of Venice, and The Tempest) are between eight and ten minutes in length. Even the shorter speeches are so rich in linguistic beauty and dramatic power that the work you do in bringing them alive will be time well spent.

      SCENES AND MONOLOGUES AT A GLANCE

      All scenes approximately five minutes in length unless otherwise specified. All monologues approximately 1–2 minutes in length.

       AS YOU LIKE IT: ACT II, SCENES I AND VII

       Four male characters; possible narrator and non-speaking roles

       MONOLOGUE CHARACTER: Duke Senior, male

       MONOLOGUE THEME: the uses of adversity

       17 lines

       THE COMEDY OF ERRORS: ACT II, SCENE II

       Two female characters and two male characters; possible narrator

       MONOLOGUE CHARACTER: Adriana, female

       MONOLOGUE THEME: the inseparability of lovers and the contagion of adultery

       37 lines

       HAMLET: ACT III, SCENE I

       One male character and one female character; possible narrator

       MONOLOGUE CHARACTER: Ophelia, female

       MONOLOGUE THEME: “a noble mind o’erthrown”

       12 lines

       HENRY IV, PART 1: ACT III, SCENE II

       Two male characters; possible narrator

       MONOLOGUE CHARACTER: Prince Henry, male

       MONOLOGUE THEME: duty and redemption

       22 lines

       JULIUS CAESAR: ACT II, SCENE I

       Four male characters and one female character; possible narrator and non-speaking roles

       MONOLOGUE CHARACTER: Portia, female

       MONOLOGUE THEME: sharing secrets with your spouse

       26 lines

       KING LEAR: ACT III, SCENE IV

       Five male characters; possible narrator

       MONOLOGUE CHARACTER: King Lear, male

       MONOLOGUE THEME: physical and mental tempests

       18 lines

       LOVE’S LABOR’S LOST: ACT V, SCENE II

      SCENE LENGTH: 8-10 minutes

       Four female characters, and five male characters; possible narrator

       MONOLOGUE CHARACTER: Princess, female

       MONOLOGUE THEME: austerity and patience for love

       25 lines

       MACBETH: ACT I, SCENE V; ACT II, SCENES I AND II

       One male character and one female character; possible narrator

       MONOLOGUE CHARACTER: Lady Macbeth, female

       MONOLOGUE THEME: ambition

       16 lines

       THE MERCHANT OF VENICE: ACT IV, SCENE I

      SCENE LENGTH: 8-10 minutes

       Five male characters and two female characters (disguised as men); possible narrator and non-speaking roles

       MONOLOGUE CHARACTER: Portia, female (disguised as Balthazar, male)

       MONOLOGUE THEME: “the quality of mercy”

       23 lines

       THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR: ACT V, SCENE V

       Six male actors and three female actors; possible narrator and non-speaking roles

       MONOLOGUE CHARACTER: Falstaff, male

       MONOLOGUE THEME: “love, which makes a beast a man, and a man a beast”

       16 lines

       A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM: ACT IV, SCENE I

       Six male characters and four female characters; possible narrator

       MONOLOGUE CHARACTER: Oberon, male

       MONOLOGUE THEME: retracting cruelty for love’s sake

       30 lines

       MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING: ACT II, SCENE III

       Four male characters; possible narrator

       MONOLOGUE CHARACTER: Benedick, male

       MONOLOGUE THEME: giving up the argument against love

       27 lines

       OTHELLO: ACT II, SCENE III

       Four male characters; possible narrator and non-speaking roles

       MONOLOGUE CHARACTER: Iago, male

       MONOLOGUE THEME: making evil out of good

       27 lines

       ROMEO AND JULIET: ACT III, SCENE V

       Two male characters and three female characters; possible narrator

       MONOLOGUE CHARACTER: Nurse, female

       MONOLOGUE THEME: settling for a practical husband

       14 lines

       THE TAMING OF THE SHREW: ACT V, SCENE II

       Five male characters and three female characters; possible narrator and non-speaking roles

       MONOLOGUE CHARACTER: Katherine, female

       MONOLOGUE THEME: what a woman owes her husband

       44 lines

       THE TEMPEST: ACT V, SCENE I

      SCENE LENGTH: 8-10 minutes

       Nine male characters and two female characters; possible narrator and non-speaking